Bono voice highligt 360 campign!

[BVS]

Bono looks up during the falsetto almost to suggest it's coming from "somewhere" else, it really doesn't sound like Edge. It's pre-recorded, they sound different, so I'm think two different voices. We all kind of guessed that originally the astonauts would trade off the Adam lines, but that was recorded by one voice.

 

[Alfpacino]

I think it's Edge.

 

[Marien]

I wouldn't say that it isn't Edge by sure, but it doesn't sound to me like Edge, I'm almost sure it is an astronaut in the first one 'cause Bono is looking into the screen, the second time I can't see where he's looking to, Edge is a possibilty, but it doesn't sound like his voice.

 

[bonocomet]

The fact that one (or more) of the astronauts may be doing the falsetto (a part that u2 fans have eagerly awaited!) is really pretty incredible, and a compliment to whomever got the part. Not that I don't think Edge or Bono couldn't have done it if they needed them to, because I believe they are fully capable, but still cool that they gave it to one of the astronauts. (If that is even the case! )

 

[Marien]

Well, after seeing them in Spain, Ireland and Britain I can't doubt Bono can sing it, I think he's at one of his best moments as a singer, but he clearly doesn't sing these parts in the video and it doesn't sound as Edge to me. I think this is awsome they give the highlight to others in their own show, but they do it quite often, do you remember the Checz tribute band taken to the stage last month?

 

[BVS]

If it's Edge, he has a bad cold...

 

[Jdelbove]

someone who was there must know

 

[Rob33]

I think the most frustrating thing with Bono's voice on the 360 Tour for me has been his phrasing...for example, Walk On just sounds really sloppy when he changes the phrasing and doesn't sing the song properly...

Also, I was pretty disappointed by the Amazing Grace snippet...instead of hitting the big note "like me" he lazily lets the crowd sing it...I hope this changed tonight in Toronto

 

[Peterrrrr]

I think the most frustrating thing with Bono's voice on the 360 Tour for me has been his phrasing...for example, Walk On just sounds really sloppy when he changes the phrasing and doesn't sing the song properly...

Also, I was pretty disappointed by the Amazing Grace snippet...instead of hitting the big note "like me" he lazily lets the crowd sing it...I hope this changed tonight in Toronto

I totaly agree here, its the same thing with WTSHNN and ISHFWILF, he sing them so calm. He dosnt hit the Wide Awake correct anyomore on Bad, "Stayyyyyyy" on Stay... He had alot more energy on Vertigo tour.
Also the "breathe", "feel" and the "ooooooooooo" before with guitat solo on Magnificent. On Vertigo tour he tried new things his voice all the time.

 

[ZOOTVTOURist]

I totaly agree here, its the same thing with WTSHNN and ISHFWILF, he sing them so calm. He dosnt hit the Wide Awake correct anyomore on Bad, "Stayyyyyyy" on Stay... He had alot more energy on Vertigo tour.
Also the "breathe", "feel" and the "ooooooooooo" before with guitat solo on Magnificent. On Vertigo tour he tried new things his voice all the time.

And this is exactly he reason, why I prefer the Vertigo Tour to 360. It is all about energy, and Bono is often lacking the voice-energy in his phrasing this time, I have wished for ... Any updates on, who really sang the "falsetto" on YBR?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpBsR1ORjVw

..for me, here in the (bad quality) clip from Toronto it does sound pre-recorded, nearly as if some switched it on after Bono's part ...

 

[KUEFC09U2]

Personally i still think bono has alot more energy this tour than he did during the vertigo tour, going from the cardiff concert i seen and the manchester one last time, guess not matter what the bitching and moaning will never go away, even when the band does bring something special like blue room.

 

[Jdelbove]

I totaly agree here, its the same thing with WTSHNN and ISHFWILF, he sing them so calm. He dosnt hit the Wide Awake correct anyomore on Bad, "Stayyyyyyy" on Stay... He had alot more energy on Vertigo tour.
Also the "breathe", "feel" and the "ooooooooooo" before with guitat solo on Magnificent. On Vertigo tour he tried new things his voice all the time.

I agree and I am disappointed - I hate to say it but Bono is not singing as well as the vertigo tour - he isnt attempting notes and he isnt holding notes - i guess he is having some trouble with his voice - i would like to see him atempt SYCMIOYO now he would be like your the reason why I SING instead of SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING

 

[KUEFC09U2]

LMAO now we have people saying Bono isnt singing well? jesus i really must be hearing a totally different singer then!

 

[Peterrrrr]

LMAO now we have people saying Bono isnt singing well? jesus i really must be hearing a totally different singer then!

Some things are better now then on Vertigo tour, his voice got a more rough power, he has a moer cleaner powerful sound when he hits some high notes and also the falsetto is stronger.

But compare these
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
2004
YouTube - U2 - Vertigo [Rock'n'Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony]

2009
YouTube - U2 London 2009-08-15 Vertigo
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

2006
YouTube - U2 Bad Live From Saitama Super Arena, Japan 12-04-2006

2009
YouTube - U2 Dublin 2009-07-27 Bad
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

2006
YouTube - u2 in japan beautiful day

2009
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPRhJpIZ0qs

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
2007
YouTube - U2 - Stay (Union Chapel - Nov. 23, 2007 - Edge and Bono)

2009
YouTube - U2 Zagreb 2009-08-09 Stay (Faraway, So Close!)

 

[KUEFC09U2]

Why would i need to compare anything? that was then and this is now, people seem to love living in the past.

 

[Jdelbove]

I guess bono seems to think he is singing well enough check out this quote from the Welland Tribune

BONO: The playing, just pure musicality is way ahead. And some of my singing voice. I've never had a voice like that. I only got this voice recently in the last five years. I wouldn't have been able to talk to you for instance before a show.

 

[mikal]

i'm not sure why there's even a debate on this. i think it's obvious that Bono's voice is the best its been since ZooTV. sure, he still has a little trouble with the falsetto, but otherwise, it's much better than it was on Vertigo Tour, with the exception of the 5th leg. i would say that would be pretty close.

 

[Slapnutz]

Yeah, Vertigo 5th leg was quite impressive. I'd say that was the the best he's sounded in over a decade.

sure, he still has a little trouble with the falsetto

That's an understatement. My dog blows more convincing falsettos out of its bottom.

 

[Jdelbove]

do u guys think he was better on vertigo 5th leg than he is now - i do he cant hold any notes like he could before

 

[mikal]

do u guys think he was better on vertigo 5th leg than he is now - i do he cant hold any notes like he could before

i'd say about even.

 

[corianderstem]

I haven't been following this thread, but I was very impressed with his voice at the Chicago shows - the ending of Walk On was particularly good.

 

[Peterrrrr]

4 seconds long touch
YouTube - U2—Beautiful Day—Live @ Roger Centre Toronto 2009-09-17

 

[coolian2]

I haven't been following this thread, but I was very impressed with his voice at the Chicago shows - the ending of Walk On was particularly good.

funny you mention that, at the shows i leaned over and said just as much.

4 seconds long touch

it's not a long touch, four seconds is barely even a decent grope. oh, wait.

 

[Rob33]

I fucking hate it when Bono starts talking lyrics in the middle of a song...SING BONO, DON'T TALK...if you need to talk, do that before and after the song, sing the song, then do your speech...song, speech, song speech...I noticed on the 360 Tour he likes experimenting with the melody, and by experimenting I mean not even singing a melody...just talking....and I'm still not entirely sure whether or not he does this on purpose or on accident...out of breath maybe?

An example from that YBR clip in this thread- "had enough of hangin round here" ...and he does this all over Walk On...and speaking of Walk On...I mean it sounds pretty good...I love Walk On, but when you know the potential of a song, it's just frustrating...why can't they just perform it like this?

YouTube - U2 - Walk On @ 2002 Grammy Awards

Bono...no more sloppy phrasing...sing the songs properly, and stop talking some of the lyrics...it doesn't make the songs better...it makes them worse.

 

[Marien]

I've attended ten shows during the European leg, starting at Barcelona 1 and ending in Cardiff, I think I can say Bono's voice is being amazing in this tour, it's not only the high notes and how easily he hits them, it is the quality and tonality of the voice that he has extraordinarily recovered after a very long period, maybe you aren't aware how difficult it is to be achieved, once your vocal chords are damaged it is almost impossible to recover your tonality and Bono has done it, it has taken him some years and lots of care by sure, he's not only good at high notes, but also at the low ones, which are much more difficult to reach in these cases, so I would say that his register has widened significantly from the last leg of the Vertigo Tour, and yes, his falsetto is not good, ok, not always, it depends on the note he's departing from and how high is the note he wants to reach, I think he keeps doing it tentatively as if he is working on it, but we must keeep in mind that most singers don't even have it in their register.
He's taking better care of his voice which translates in not doing those crazy long shouts he used to and maybe when he has many concerts without almost any rest selecting the songs he's going to force a little bit. My opinion is that it's a wise decision that will in the long run be very positive for his voice.
Sometimes, when I see some comments here, I wonder how many singers some people have seen on stage, I say this because most singers I've seen make much more dramatic changes in their songs when they play them live just to sing them confortably than U2 do. Also, sometimes I feel that we are so much centred on Bono's difficulties that we fail to recognise his achievements, in my opinion Bono is an extraordinary singer who is, curiously enough, underrated by his own fans. I also think that good singing takes more than reaching the notes.

 

[last unicorn]

Agree with you, Marien, especially the last part of your post.

I think most fans underestimate how difficult it is for Bono to sing the U2 songs live, he has said himself so many times. For the current tour, he seems to struggle much less and really seems to have reached a very high technical level with his singing. His voice also doesn't seem to tire so easily, which is the result of much practise and taking care of your instrument.

I also don't understand, and honestly, don't care about the complaints here, because most people aren't singers themselves and don't know much about singing. Bono is the singer here and if he choses to sing a song in a particular way, that's fine with me. These are HIS songs, he wrote them, he has to feel them when he's singing, and he has to feel secure and comfortable when singing them, so he is the one to decide how he wants to sing the songs. I would never try to tell him how to sing his own songs. He can phrase, whisper, scream, do whatever he feels like doing. I'm sure when Bono is in a song, he doesn't think too much about that, because he just does what the song tells him to do. That's what many people here don't understand. I don't think he thinks about how to sing a song when he's actually on stage.

I was quite blown away by his voice at the shows I went to and I hope he can keep this form up for the rest of the tour. I guess the longer gaps between shows do help.

 

[SBU2]

I fucking hate it when Bono starts talking lyrics in the middle of a song...SING BONO, DON'T TALK...if you need to talk, do that before and after the song, sing the song, then do your speech...song, speech, song speech...I noticed on the 360 Tour he likes experimenting with the melody, and by experimenting I mean not even singing a melody...just talking....and I'm still not entirely sure whether or not he does this on purpose or on accident...out of breath maybe?

An example from that YBR clip in this thread- "had enough of hangin round here" ...and he does this all over Walk On...and speaking of Walk On...I mean it sounds pretty good...I love Walk On, but when you know the potential of a song, it's just frustrating...why can't they just perform it like this?

YouTube - U2 - Walk On @ 2002 Grammy Awards

Bono...no more sloppy phrasing...sing the songs properly, and stop talking some of the lyrics...it doesn't make the songs better...it makes them worse.

Totally agree with you. I love walk on, when i heard it was in the setlist i was really excited and glad,, that was until i heard it. Sounds weak, lifeless and thin. If he cares more about the mask than the song then drop the song cause its wasting a space every night for a song like ES or Kite!

 

[Rob33]

On a positive note, I think overall Bono's voice is incredible this tour...and I'm not sure there has ever been a song so consistently incredible as Ultraviolet over the course of an entire tour...obviously this tour is far from over, but so far, I think this version of Ultraviolet is one of the great vocal performances in U2 history....really. I'll never forget unexpectedly hearing "you bury your treasure" for the first time when Barcelona I came up on youtube...so epic.

 

[Marien]

Thanks unicorn!
In my previous post I forgot to mention Bono's operatic voice that most popular singers don't even dream to have, remember the part in Italian of Miss Sarajevo, for example.

If you can get over the unfairness of comparing a 1 song set in tv broadcast quality with the last song in the main set of a concert recorded by a fan with non proffessional equipment and far away from the stage, then tell me this is a thin performance, tell me this is lifeless.

YouTube - Walk on @ Barcelona 30.06.2009 // U2

By the way, Aung San Suu Kyi is not only the mask thing Bono is making this tour, she's a real person, the song was originally written for and about her, she and the people in Burma are living under really tough conditions and it's not only Bono, it's U2, AMNISTY iNTERNATIONAL and many other people (including me) who care for them.

 

[Rob33]

Thanks unicorn!
In my previous post I forgot to mention Bono's operatic voice that most popular singers don't even dream to have, remember the part in Italian of Miss Sarajevo, for example.

If you can get over the unfairness of comparing a 1 song set in tv broadcast quality with the last song in the main set of a concert recorded by a fan with non proffessional equipment and far away from the stage, then tell me this is a thin performance, tell me this is lifeless.

YouTube - Walk on @ Barcelona 30.06.2009 // U2

By the way, Aung San Suu Kyi is not only the mask thing Bono is making this tour, she's a real person, the song was originally written for and about her, she and the people in Burma are living under really tough conditions and it's not only Bono, it's U2, AMNISTY iNTERNATIONAL and many other people (including me) who care for them.

that's one of the better performances of the song I think....in general though, they're all pretty great, but Bono just gets lazy/sloppy it seems every so often and it really effects the song